HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhara Rao has demanded that Chief Minister K Rosaiah should tender an unconditional apology to Telangana people for preventing them from registering their protest against Andhra Pradesh state Formation Day celebrations across the region today.
He said that the government itself was creating hurdles to promotion of national integration and questioned under what rule the State Government adopted `Ma Telugu Talli’ song as State Song. He demanded that the government immediately withdraw the song, saying that it was most objectionable to Telangana people. When several ministers were also opposing the song why was the government continuing to treat the song as State Song, he wondered.
The TRS observed the Andhra Pradesh Formation Day as `Vidroha Dinam’ and the TRS chief hoisted black flag at Telangana Bhavan, the party’s headquarters. The party cadre sang Telangana songs in support of Telangana state.
Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao said that since 1969 Telangna organisations had been opposing Andhra Pradesh State Formation Day celebrations. The state government introduced `Ma Telugu Talli’ song as state song without taking the Assembly or President’s permission or issuing any GO.
``The Union Government recognised several languages but no State celebrates state formation day as regional motherland’s. If any one does that it would endanger the national integration,’’ he said.
Asserting that Telangana people would respect the Telugu language but asked why they should sing the `Ma Telugu Talliki’ song which he said made no mention of Telangana region.
``When Education Minister Manikya Varaprasad categorically said that the government was not insisting on the singing of the song in schools why did Chief Minister K Rosaiah sing it during the State Formation Day celebrations?’’.
Rao said Rosaiah was the tallest personality in State politics but he was continuing previous leaders’ practices who were identical with `coastal Andhra valasa vaadam’.
He urged the state government to convene an all-party meeting and Assembly on this issue. He also said that when Telangana people were registering their protest by using their fundamental right the state government suppressed that right by using police force.
The TRS leader said that his party was committed to intensifying the Telangana movement in a democratic manner.
